Preseason preview: Titans vs Denver Broncos in Week One
By Brady Akins
Broncos Offense vs Titans Defense
The story of the Broncos’ offense is youth. Not only will Denver’s quarterback be making just the sixth start of his career, but the team will also be breaking in two rookie receivers, a second-year tight end, and possibly a rookie center in Lloyd Cushenberry III.
But for as young as this Denver offense is, they could be equally dangerous. Those two rookie receivers, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, could quickly develop alongside Courtland Sutton as one of the best pass-catching corps in the league. Luckily for Tennessee, the Titans have the talent and the experience in the defensive secondary to make for a nightmare debut to the league.
No more Logan Ryan at cornerback for Tennessee, but the Titans will have the efforts of some truly dangerous cornerbacks and safeties, from Malcolm Butler, Adoree Jackson, Kenny Vaccaro and Kevin Byard. For as talented as the Broncos’ offense is, going up against a secondary as strong as Tennessee’s is going to be a tall task– especially with an inexperienced quarterback.
But Denver is more than a quarterback and a cast of pass-catchers. The Broncos already had a strong presence at running back in 2019 with Phillip Lindsey, but they added to their running back room in the 2020 offseason with the addition of Melvin Gordon. Lindsey and Gordon could be a tough one-two punch for the Titans inexperienced defensive line to handle, especially with how much effort the Titans might need to dedicate to Denver’s passing game.
The biggest difference makers here will be the presence of Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans running at middle linebacker. Their combined skill could help slow down the running game, especially against a weaker Broncos offensive line, and confuse Drew Lock enough into making mistakes in the passing game. If they have a good night, it could be game over for Denver.